After the Fireworks
by butterfly10
Summary: After the crushed wedding, Ranma feels he must apologise, he's trying to find the courage to face Akane, but she's been thinking too. Is it really all Ranma's fault? *Complete*
1. Chapter 1

AFTER THE FIREWORKS

Finally everybody was gone. The priest had been dismissed, after a thousand apologies and a few thousand yen in donations. The fiancés had left after Ranma had made it perfectly clear to them that he never intended to marry any of them, that he despised what they had done and that he hoped he wouldn't see any of them for a very long time, or else. 

Cologne had showed up to pick Shampoo, and seeing the disaster in the Tendo household, she had angrily spoke to her great-granddaughter in Chinese and, after apologising to the Tendos and to the Saotomes for Shampoo's behaviour, she had dragged the purple-haired girl away. Shampoo was so depressed by Ranma's hateful expression anyway that she hadn't really cared what was done to her. Mousse had followed them, his shoulders slump. 

Happosai had run of on another of his panty raids, not feeling in the least guilty about what had happened. He had lost his sense of guild about half a century before. Yet he had a self-preservation instinct and knew fully well it was better not to come around the Tendos or the Saotomes for quite some time.

Ryoga had got lost, again. Before that, though, he had still tried to pick a fight with Ranma, who merely ignored him and dodged his moves, telling him that he was in no mood to fool around and to get (literally and metaphorically) lost.

The Kunos had been taken care of by Nabiki, who had called the mental hospital and had them hospitalized urgently. Nobody really cared much about what would happen to them. At least for the time being.

Ukyo had lingered for a long time, hoping to get Ranma to talk to her, hoping at first to cheer with him because the wedding hadn't gone through, and then, realising just how angry he was at everybody, even at her, she had hoped to get a chance at explaining why she had done what she had. When she reached for him, he stared at her coldly and told her: "Just go, Ukyo." He had called her by her full name, something he never did. She had got scared. She had run away with tears streaming down her cheeks, somehow knowing her supposed engagement was over forever.

The older Tendo sister started cleaning up the mess in the dojo, Ranma trying to help her. Nabiki had disappeared somewhere as usual and Soun Tendo was crying his eyes out over a board of shogi with a panda in front of him holding a sign saying: 'You're flooding the game.'

Ranma didn't want to look at them. Nor he wanted to talk to anybody. He thought helping Kasumi with the cleaning would have kept his mind occupied. He didn't want to think about Akane – his _almost_-wife – right now. She, too, had disappeared somewhere in the house. He supposed she was in her room, changing out of her charred, torn wedding dress. Their wedding. Ruined. He just couldn't believe it.

How did he feel? He didn't have the nerve to answer that particular question. He would just keep himself busy for as long as he could. Then…

After several hours of work, the mess had been cleaned away, only a few holes in the dojo and some charred grass in the garden left to speak of what had occurred in the morning. And his tuxedo, of course. He hadn't changed yet because he didn't want to come across Akane just yet.

But he had no more work to do there. Kasumi thanked him, and left to prepare dinner. Even her calming manner had been slightly altered that day. Her smiles looked forced to Ranma, and it just made him feel worse.

Knowing he couldn't delay it any longer, her walked inside the house.

On his way to his room, he faltered in front of Akane's door. No sound was coming out. No crying, no breaking things, no nothing. Just how mad was she to be that quiet, he wandered, feeling so terribly guilty. He had to do something. He had to apologise to her, even though it wasn't really his fault… or maybe it was, in a way… all those jerks had come because of him… Kasumi had said, while they had been cleaning, in that soft voice that usually soothed him, that the wedding day was the most important day in a girl's life. It was as if she had stabbed him. He had ruined Akane's most important day.

Still he didn't feel ready to talk to her yet. So he just sighed and proceeded to his room, picked some clothes and went to the bathroom to wash away the day's remains.

Soon after he emerged from the bathroom, Kasumi called in for dinner. He was in his room and restlessly listened for any sounds coming from Akane's room. Bu her door didn't open, so he went down and set at his usual spot. Her seat remained vacant. Nobody really asked about where she was or why she wasn't coming down. Nobody had much appetite either. Even Genma had the grace to eat his food slowly, albeit he did finish all of it. Ranma just played with his chopsticks and barely tasted his meal. 

Kasumi looked at him with concern, but didn't say a word.

After dinner, when everybody else but Ranma and Kasumi had left, he offered to help her with the dishes. She accepted his help for the second time in the day, smiling vaguely. When the kitchen was spotless again, she said: "Ranma, could you please take some dinner up to Akane?"

He looked at her with surprise. 

"I…" he stammered, "…don't really think… she wants to see me … right now …"

"I know she probably is mad, but you two need to talk and that will give you the right excuse, ne?" she smiled gently. Those two really needed to settle things up as soon as possible, she taught.

As always, Ranma couldn't deny anything to Kasumi, so he took the tray she prepared and headed for Akane's room.

He knocked and heard her reply.

"Come in, Kasumi."

She was in for a surprise, he thought.

"Uhmmm, it's actually me", he said, opening the door. She darted her head towards him and then quickly looked away, without saying a single word. She wasn't wearing her wedding dress any more, she had put on her yellow pijamas and was lying on her bed. And she looked like she had been crying. A lot.

"I…" Ranma tried to say, "I brought you some dinner, Kasumi sent me up."

She didn't turn. "Thank you, just leave it there," and she pointed to her desk.

"Ok." 

He placed the try on the desk and glanced at her. She was staring at the wall.

"Uhmmm… Listen, Akane…" he started.

She didn't move.

"About the wedding…"

Akane turned around. There was no anger in her eyes, not any more. Just a hazy sadness that hurt Ranma even more.

"Yeah?" Akane asked quietly.

"I… uhmmm…" He couldn't find the words. He wished he had prepared a nice speech or something , but he knew he wouldn't have remembered a single word anyway. But he had to do this. The pain in her eyes was way too much to bear.

"I'm sorry. I… I'm sorry I couldn't go through with it, I'm sorry I let all those jerks ruin your beautiful dress. I'm sorry I made you angry and sad. I'm sorry Happosai drank the Nanniicuhan because now I can't…" The words spilled slowly out of him, every one of them costing him a great effort. Finally he simply couldn't go on any more.

Akane listened speechless. She was tired and still angry, deep inside. She wanted to ignore him but couldn't. She hadn't seen him with such an expression ever before. So sad, his shoulders so slump, his head low, his eyes full of sorrow. And his voice so devoid of the usual arrogance and smirk. It got to her. For the first time, she really listened, heard every single word, understood every single hesitation and every single undertone. He had said she was beautiful, in his awkward way – the only way he knew – and he had said he couldn't get through with the marriage. Why?

"Why?" she said finally. He looked puzzled.

"Why what?"

"Why couldn't you get through with it?" Her eyes were fixed on his.

He tried to speak but staggered. Trying to summon his voice again, he began hesitantly.

"You know… I hate our parents pushing us – heck, you hate that too! And all the girls trying to hurt you – to kill you – and Kuno and Ryoga trying to kill me. And Happosai stealing the only chance I had to become a real man again…"

"You are a real man, Ranma," she argued quietly.

"No, I'm not. All it takes is some cold water, and I'm not a man any more…" he laughed bitterly, "… and I hate it. And I could never, never make you stay with me forever as a half-woman. I'd rather give my life than see you hurt…" 

He was half yelling, half whispering. He felt tears creeping to his eyes and he hated himself for it. Yet one more proof he wasn't a man among men. Men don't cry.

He turned his back toward the girl he loved more than life itself. Fists clenched, he stood there trying to regain his control. All those years of training and he couldn't… He wasn't able to control his fears… his anger… his tears…

She stoop up from her bed, walked to him and hid her face in his black silk Chinese shirt. She held him tightly.

He was dumbfounded. He tensed up and remained unmoving in her embrace. 

Moments passed. 

He felt something wet on his back. 

She was crying. He tried to turn but she just held him more tightly. He took her hands in his, enjoyed the feeling for a moment despite all his worries, then pulled them gently so he could turn to face her. 

She buried her face in his chest, avoiding eye contact, and held him again. He felt his cheeks burn and his hands tremble as he clumsily held her back.

"Akane, don't cry, please. I'm… I'm sorry…"

She shook her head. 

"No, no, Ranma!"

She raised her head, finally, her eyes filled with tears, her cheeks glowing with emotion, and he felt a pain in his chest seeing her hurting so much, because of him.

"All I can do is hurt you. I… maybe I should just leave…" he said, defeatedly.

"No!" she cried in panic. "No, Ranma, you're the only one who makes me feel safe no matter what. You don't hurt me, at least not intentionally, I know that…"

"But I made you cry… again…" he protested meekly.

"It's… Never mind that. You said you're sorry for what happened but I'm the one who should be apologising. I mean, I know you love me, you said so at Jusendo, and even if you deny it, I know you do. I know you're lousy at expressing your feelings, your father taught you all to well to keep them inside at all times. And even though I know that, I insisted anyway, just because I wanted you to admit it. Just because I was so jealous of Shampoo and Ukyo and all of them… I kept pushing you just like our parents… But…" 

She looked in his eyes again, with a slight flush to her cheeks.

"But I never told you how I feel. I never did what I wanted you so desperately to do. I was very unfair, childish and mean to you. And I'm sorry."

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Here it is, another story I found lying around. Hope you enjoyed it. I'll try to post the new chapter soon – a week or so. Please review, so I know what you think – talking to yourself alone in your room won't help you nor me. If you have something to say, I'll listen (ahem… read).

Sorry for the grammar/syntax mistakes – again, I'm not English…

So, go ahead, let me know what you think!


	2. Chapter 2

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Hi again! I managed to write the new chapter, finally. Hope you like it. It's just some waff and fluff, so if you don't like the kind, avoid it. ;) Thanks to those who reviewed the first chapter, I really appreciated what you said. Muahhhh!!!

Disclaimer: Even if I did own Ranma, I doubt I'd waste my time trying to make money out of him with fanfiction…

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AFTER THE FIREWORKS – Chapter 2

Ranma just stared, speechless. His hands were dangling beside his hips, while Akane was still holding onto his shirt. She wished he would say something. Anything. Her eyes were still wet, though the tears had stopped rolling down her cheeks. Gathering her strength, she spoke again.

"We are very similar, in more than one way."

He just looked at her, puzzled. What was she talking about? She noticed his expression and smiled a little.

"I didn't believe Kasumi when she said so a while ago either. I had your very own reaction. 'Me and that sex-changing pervert, alike?' were my exact words." 

He flinched, trying to get away from her. She wouldn't release her grip.

"Then, lately, I thought about it. When you denied your words, when you backed off every time we were remotely close, when you would open up a little just to become more distant the next moment… I finally realized that we both feel the same way." 

She stopped to watch his reaction.

"And what that is?" he asked carefully, not sure if he really wanted to hear the answer. Did she really know or…?

Akane fixed her eyes in his.

"Afraid", she stated.

"What?" he yelled, disappointed more than he would ever admit. "I'm not afraid of anything!" 

Akane laughed inwardly. His reaction was exactly the one she expected.

"Yes you are. You're afraid of me as much as I'm afraid of you", she added quietly. Seeing that he was going to interrupt her again, she continued quickly.

"I'm not speaking of physical damage or fights. I know you aren't afraid of anyone you have to fight. But you are afraid of getting close to anybody just as much as me."

At her words, he shut his mouth, at a loss. 

"The engagement, our parents, the fiancées, the fights… Everything has helped keeping us from our utmost fear: caring for another person. I was so afraid you'd fall in love with Ukyo or Shampoo, or even Kodachi, that I fought every feeling I had for you. I wouldn't even admit I had one whatsoever."

She released his shirt and moved over to her bed, sitting down, as if she were afraid her knees wouldn't be able to support her much longer.

"Still I couldn't help it. And neither could you. I saw it, so I fought even more. One the one had I yelled at least once every day I didn't want to have you as a fiancé, on the other hand I couldn't stand the ways the other girls hung all over you all the time. So I got angry. And I hit you."

Ranma was still standing in the middle of the room, staring at her, speechless.

"You fought the engagement just as hard as I did, you called me uncute and tomboy and insulted me in every possible way, you never told the other girls off… And still when it mattered, you were always there for me. You'd always save me, or listen to me when I was down, or try to cheer me up… and then you'd stick your foot in your mouth… and I'd get angry… and we'd fight… Just because we both were too afraid to face what had happened."

"You…" Ranma finally started, but stopped because he didn't really know what he could or should say, afraid he'd stick his proverbial foot in his mouth once again. What was Akane trying to say? That she felt what he felt? He hoped he wasn't getting the wrong message.

Akane waited to give him space to talk, but when she saw he wouldn't say anything, she continued.

"Today you asked me why I wanted to marry you." 

He remembered the moment he saw her in her beautiful wedding dress. She had said she was doing it for him, to get him the water of the Spring of drowned man. 

"I chickened out and said it was because of the water."

"It wasn't?" he asked, finally regaining his voice.

"No, not really. I don't really care about your curse any more. And I wouldn't have married you just to get rid of it. I mean, marriage is forever." She kept her eyes low, so he couldn't read her expression.

"So why were you going to do it?" he asked.

"For the same reason I did all the other things. And because I heard you say those words at Jusendo," she said quietly.

"But…"

"And just as this morning, I still find it difficult to tell you the truth. Just as you find it difficult telling the truth to me, right?" she asked, looking at him.

"No, I…" he started, panicking again, but then he saw her eyes and stopped, sighed and decided for once to try to be honest about it. "… Yeah, I suppose so."

"So I'm going to say it, and I don't care if the world just goes and dies the moment after I do, or if all the girls and our fathers and Nabiki and Kasumi just bang in here shouting and everything, and I don't care if you say the same… well, I do care… but it is true even if you don't say it, I just know. So there…" She paused, stood up, walked to him, took his face between her palms and said slowly, almost lingeringly, "I love you, Saotome Ranma."

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There. Done. Please review and let me know what you think. Thank you for your time!


	3. Chapter 3

Ok, here's the last chapter to this story. I'm sorry it took so long to update it, but I'm very busy and on top I'm sick right now so I find it hard to sit at the computer and write. 

Oh, sorry if I mislead anyone with my last statement in the previous chapter's notes. I meant I was done with that chapter, not with the story. This is the end of it though. Hope you like it!

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AFTER THE FIREWORKS – Chapter 3

Ranma just stared wide-eyed. For a long second he couldn't think anything but a single thought. 

She loved him… She loved him… Akane **LOVED** him… **AKANE** loved him… Akane loved **HIM**… Akane… loved… him…

The thought swirled in his head at an incredible speed. He felt his heart thumping wildly in his chest, so loud he was sure she could hear it, too. He could feel her hands on his cheeks. They felt a little cold, which meant he was probably red as a beetroot. He let her pull his head lower and started a little feeling her lips on his own. Just a soft, feather-light touch. Then she backed a little, to look into his eyes, and waited.

Ranma stood there, motionless, numbed by the events. He had come up to her to beg her to forgive him, to tell her how he felt – if he would have had enough guts at the crucial moment, anyway – and now **she **had told **him** she loved him. And she had kissed him. His mind was a whirlwind.

Finally he realized she was waiting for him to say something.

"You… do?" he managed to mumble, still too surprised to be coherent.

Akane was becoming anxious. All her courage and determination were abandoning her. She exposed herself so much, she admitted her feelings… and there he was… staring at her… not saying anything or at least not making any sense… not showing the emotions she wanted so much to see… 

She released his face, let her hands fall down her sides and looked at her feet. They still were so close that she couldn't avoid seeing his feet too. And his legs. And the tip of his fingers. Shaking. 

His hands were shaking… Just like hers.

"Akane…" Ranma whispered, the word barely leaving his mouth, emotions blocking his throat. The initial surprise gave in to the most incredible wave of joy he had ever experienced in his life. 

He raised his right hand to her shoulder. She was trembling. 

"Yes, I do…" she answered his question, her voice quivering but strong enough to make him believe her. 

She almost hadn't finished saying it when she found herself in his arms, melting in his embrace, his head hidden in her short hair, murmuring her name.

He just held her like that, like his life depended on it, and she just stood there, remembering, after a while, to hold him back. She could only hear his heart beating madly under her ear and her own heart responding at an equal pace.

"I love you, too" she heard. He had breathed it in her ear, softly, almost inaudibly. But it was enough for her. It was enough to believe him, to prove her guesses right and to make her the happiest girl in the world. 

She held him more tightly when she felt him leaning back, refusing to let go of that precious moment. But he had no intention of letting her go, she happily figured when he lifted her chin and looked in her eyes. There was more love there than she had ever hoped to see. For once the arrogant mask was down and she could truly see the boy she only managed to get quick glances at in the past. The boy she fell in love with. The boy who loved her back. 

She noticed his head closing in and she shut her eyes. He kissed her. Softly as she had kissed him before. Once, twice, three times,… she lost count as she got lost in the sensations, forgetting all the world except for him.

Some time later, when the initial shock of their new-found mutual love was over for both of them, they were sitting on Akane's bad, talking. Holding her hand in his, Ranma still could barely believe his luck. He didn't want to let go of her hand, afraid she would disappear somewhere or he would wake up alone in his room or somebody else would come and ruin everything.

"You know", he said, remembering the world outside their room, "I'm surprised no-one has interrupted us yet."

"You're right," Akane frowned. "I guess Nabiki is recording everything with her microphones or a hidden camera as usual…"

Ranma frowned too. Then he just smiled and squeezed her hand.

"Well, I don't care. They want us married anyway and if it weren't for all those crazy people who showed up at our wedding this would be our…" He blushed.

"Our wedding night…" Akane finished, blushing as well.

They sat in silence for a while, each lost in their own thoughts. 

"What will we do about the other fiancées?" Akane asked, voicing one of her fears. She didn't want to think too much about their wedding night right then. She wasn't sure she was ready for something like that yet.

Ranma was glad she changed the subject, afraid that he wouldn't be manly enough in that situation right now. He felt too unsure to even kiss Akane as much as he wanted to, a wedding night was way too… So he thought about their other problems.

"Uhmmm, I guess we should talk to them. Ukyo will probably understand. She's a friend after all. I don't know about Shampoo though. She is hard headed…"

"And Kodachi?" Akane asked.

"Yeah, there's Kodachi, too… And her idiotic brother…" Ranma sighed. Akane sighed to, thinking.

"I've got an idea!" she snapped her fingers. "Why don't we ask Nabiki to help us out with them? She could use her connections to get them off our backs. She owes us after selling the invitations to all the others." 

Akane was angry at her sister and she knew Nabiki new it. They had exchanged a single glance after the wedding and Nabiki had bowed her head, not able to stand Akane's icy gaze.

"You think she'll help us? Because I don't think I have any money to…" Ranma questioned scratching the back of his head.

"Oh, she will, I assure you!" Akane interrupted. "I know secrets about my big sister she wouldn't want her associates to find out… and, as I said, she owes us one."

"I guess you're right," Ranma said, hoping for the best.

"Maybe she could even find some loophole in the Amazon laws, she's good at that too," he added, jokingly.

Akane stared at him, then smiled broadly and said; "Exactly! That way we can get rid of Shampoo and Cologne for good!"

"Hey, I was only joking," Ranma said. "We don't have any books on Amazon law and even if we did, they'd be in Chinese…"

"I know, but she could find some. And we could find someone who'd translate them for us," she explained and then added, "I bet Mousse would help, he'd be delighted to free Shampoo and have her for himself, even though she treats him like trash."

"You know, maybe it could work. I'll ask him. He might be honour-bound not to talk about Amazon laws with foreigners though."

Akane sighed. "Probably. But then we'll just find someone else who can read Chinese."

"This whole mess could finally stop", Ranma said excitedly, holding both Akane's hands in his. "And we could finally …" he blushed again.

"Yes." Akane replied dreamily. She was so beautiful, Ranma thought. How could he ever have thought her uncute? 

"Akane," he said softly. She raised her head and looked in his eyes.

"I love you, Akane Tendo," he said quietly, yet this time his voice was steady. It was now or never, he thought. He had to say it all.

"I know we fight a lot and I say all those mean things to you… I don't mean any of them… you know that…"

"Not even the tomboy?" she interrupted with a glint in her eyes.

He smiled. "You are a tomboy, but there's nothing wrong with that. You are also very cute at times…" he saw her frown at that, and smiled inwardly. He would never stop teasing her.

"At times? And most of the time? What am I? Just plain ugly?" she said, a hint of anger in her voice. She knew she could be violent at times but she hoped he liked her anyway.

"Most of the time you're plain…" he hesitated to tease her more. But just before she could really get angry he added: "… plain beautiful".

Her anger melted at the love she saw in his eyes and she snuggled to his chest. He held her and continued.

"What I wanted to say, anyway, was that even though we don't always get a long, and even though I hate to prove our dads right with this, and even though it won't be easy to clear all the mess in our lives, and even though I don't have a ring at the moment… I love you more that anything in the world and I'd be the happiest man on earth if I could spend my life with you."

By the end of his little speech, Akane's eyes were full of tears. She lifted her head and smiled at him through her tears. Tears of joy, he could tell.

"Will, you marry me?" he asked formally.

She just crushed her lips down on his and held him even more tightly. They both started laughing and eventually he pulled back sobered a little and gave her one of his lopsided smiles.

"Is that a yes?"

She smiled back and answered simply. 

"Yes."

END

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This time it is really over. I hope you like it. I'll appreciate any comments you might want to share. Thanks for your time and if you happen to know my other stories, don't worry, they're not dead, I plan on updating them both soon. Thanks again and see you soon!


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